The deputy police chief of Braintree, Massachusetts, has been placed on paid administrative leave, following an evidence room scandal.

Deputy Chief Wayne Foster's attorney, David Hinds, confirmed to necn that Foster was served papers on Monday morning.

Hinds said the papers cited the results of a recent police audit.

In the audit, it was found that 4,709 pieces of narcotics evidence was missing, more than 60 guns were unaccounted for, and more than $400,000 in cash seized from criminals was also missing. As a result, a couple dozen drug cases have been thrown out.

"We will challenge the deputy chief being placed on administrative leave," Hinds told necn. "There is no legal basis for doing that at all and what the mayor has decided to do is to overstep his bounds and to look for scape goats."

Just last week, Police Chief Russell Jenkins announced he would be retiring on Oct. 7.